First Cruise Experience Aboard the Grandiosa - Part2

[OmegaSeamaster]

Our Dining Experience on the Grandiosa:

Let's discuss the MDR (Main Dining Room) for Aurea guests—Il Campo restaurant. It's located next to the champagne bar on deck 7, and I must say, anytime dining is a delightful perk of the Aurea experience. The restaurant itself exudes elegance, with comfortable seating. Most evenings, we were fortunate to secure a window table, which added to the ambiance. The menu offered a decent selection, although the food was average in terms of taste and quality. Nonetheless, it served its purpose. The only time we encountered a wait was when we dined around 9 PM. We were asked to wait for approximately 20 minutes in the adjoining champagne bar, which allowed us to enjoy a quick game of rummy. Typically, we preferred dining between 7 and 8 PM when the restaurant was only about half to three-quarters full. The service was prompt, and the waiting staff were attentive and friendly, making our dining experience at Il Campo quite enjoyable.

Breakfast and lunch were exclusively served in the Purple Crab MDR, although we found it to be a more bustling and less pleasant environment. Now, let's turn our attention to the Marketplace buffet—it was an absolute frenzy! We did eat there on several occasions. The pizza unsurprisingly stood out, and the selection of ethnic food and salads was decent. However, it was a stressful and overwhelmingly crowded affair, even in the supposedly quieter back section that we had heard about. . We didn't venture to the buffet late at night, but during all other times, it was an absolute madhouse.

Moving on to the main bars outside, such as the Atmosphere Bar on deck 15 by the main pool and the Horizon Bar on deck 18. I must admit, they presented a challenge. However, it wasn't solely due to the crowd or the limited bar service staff. The real issue was the inefficient system implemented by MSC. Ordering a drink involved a tedious process of the server tapping away on their tablet, followed by waiting in line due to the shortage of bartenders. Unlike a typical bar on land, one couldn't simply approach the counter, take a seat, and place an order. Instead, we were required to queue at a designated spot, patiently awaiting the attention of a single server before locating a seat. The same inconvenience applied to the marketplace entrance, where a separate table was set up for canned beverages and bottled water. The process of registering our details from the card or wristband took an unnecessarily long time, roughly 90 seconds per person. MSC ought to address this issue, as it understandably led to growing frustration among guests. I must commend the staff, though, for handling the situation with calmness and apologies. The staff were excellent, but the overall system suffered from significant inefficiency and flaws.

As for specialty dining, we didn't indulge much, except for one dinner at Hola Cantina, which proved to be excellent (especially the chili beef nachos!). The dishes were reasonably priced, but with drinks and service charges, the bill amounted to nearly €100 for the four of us. A word of advice—skip the €17.99 "all you can eat" option, as it's nearly impossible to consume more than €10 worth of food per person.

On one evening, we opted for a meal at the Master of The Seas pub. We ordered fish and chips as well as burgers, and they were truly fantastic. The food came at an incredibly affordable price of just €5 per dish. However, we did experience a one-hour wait, despite the pub being practically empty.

Now, while it may not be a bar, the Top19 solarium exclusively for Aurea guests provided a great retreat during busy times. Nevertheless, obtaining a drink proved to be a lengthy process due to the presence of only one server catering to a considerable number of parched guests. MSC should consider implementing a more efficient solution, such as a pop-up bar.

Let's touch upon the drink packages. The two adults in our group opted for the basic easy drinks package, while the kids had the minors package. The quality of drinks, including wine and cocktails, met our expectations. In instances where the easy package didn't apply, such as the champagne bar, we were able to pay a small additional amount for delightful drinks, such as a strawberry mimosa and a bellini (totaling around €4.60). Upgrading to higher-tier packages proved unnecessary due to the challenges encountered in obtaining drinks. Fortunately, we're not heavy drinkers, but it's worth noting that those with the Premium extra package may not find it particularly valuable unless they spend a significant amount of time at the bar throughout the cruise. We even overheard one passenger expressing frustration at having to repeatedly remind the staff of their entitlement to premium brands included in their package.

Overall, we would rate our dining experience at the bars and restaurants a solid 7/10 (with the Marketplace Buffet scoring a low 1/10).

[Ryan82]

Am really enjoying your reviews and hearing about your experiences as we did thr same cruise in May.

 

I appreciate that each cruise is different and everyone's experience is unique to them. Our sailing was at capacity but we didn't experience the type of delays that you experienced and definitely got value from our Premium drinks package.

 

One thing we do have in common is my god the passengers who board Grandiosa DON'T like or use Masters of the Sea -  because that bar resembled the Marie celeste even if the other bars are busy. 

 

I'm not a fan of a cruise buffet at the best of times. But I found the food in the buffet on Grandiosa to be of surprisingly good quality and variety. 

[OmegaSeamaster]

5 hours ago, Ryan82 said:

Am really enjoying your reviews and hearing about your experiences as we did thr same cruise in May.

 

I appreciate that each cruise is different and everyone's experience is unique to them. Our sailing was at capacity but we didn't experience the type of delays that you experienced and definitely got value from our Premium drinks package.

 

One thing we do have in common is my god the passengers who board Grandiosa DON'T like or use Masters of the Sea -  because that bar resembled the Marie celeste even if the other bars are busy. 

 

I'm not a fan of a cruise buffet at the best of times. But I found the food in the buffet on Grandiosa to be of surprisingly good quality and variety. 

Indeed, very true about the pub. It had a great selection of beers and the food was excellent. Maybe because it was so hot, people don't like to sit inside, in a place with no view to the outside. I would imagine on winter/cold weather cruises, this would be a nice place to spend time. The design on the Meraviglia class ships, with only outdoor venue at the top of the ship, is a missed opportunity in my view. We look forward to sailing on Seaview in October where there is an outdoor promenade on the lower deck. 

I had no issues with the food at the buffet, but it wasn't capable of catering to thousands of guests, so not fit for purpose unfortunately.